The things that drew me to dubstep in the first place weren't necessarily the kind of testosterone-driven environments that you got from say, late jungle or some of the drum 'n' bass stuff that was happening after that. I think the dubstep that has come over to the US, and certain producers — who I can't even be bothered naming — have definitely hit upon a sort of frat-boy market where there's this macho-ism being reflected in the sounds and the way the music makes you feel. And to me, that is a million miles away from where dubstep started. It's a million miles away from the ethos of it. It's been influenced so much by electro and rave, into who can make the dirtiest, filthiest bass sound, almost like a pissing competition, and that's not really necessary. And I just think that largely that is not going to appeal to women. I find that whole side of things to be pretty frustrating, because that is a direct misrepresentation of the sound as far as I'm concerned.

ARE YOU PROACTIVELY COVERING FEMALE MUSICIANS? Oh no, not at all. Those are just songs that I like, and definitely not decisions I made based on gender at all. But I have noticed this kind of pattern in female pianists, especially, the style of play is a very supportive role within the composition. And I love that. And I kind of envy that. Because there's this kind of male tendency to flourish and to embellish on things that might not need it. And that is definitely an ego-driven thing which I don't think someone like Joni Mitchell really was a purveyor of. And I kind of appreciate that about her music.

It burns, it burns A presence locally with digital production efforts and a turn with Seekonk for more than a decade, C Money Burns releases this week his first full-length work under his own moniker, and its title is apt.

Co-operators It’s 4 pm in Berlin, and there’s still so much shit to do before tonight’s Moderat album release party at WMF — a transient dance club that recently reopened in an old furniture factory in the center of the old city.

The other river rave When heads deserted the Chinatown-warehouse rave scene in the late '90s, the house loyalists from Soul Clap and Marz Entertainment were still cracking glow sticks.

Trans Am | What Day Is It Tonight? Trans Am Live, 1993 - 2008 Trans Am are distillers of guilty pleasures, mixing fat AOR riffs with sleazy electronic accents and a propulsive attitude typically reserved for arcade soundtracks. What Day Is It Tonight? covers the DC-area band’s 20-year history with high-quality, high-energy live cuts taken from their many tours.

COLLECTIVE THINKING @ BLANC GALLERY | March 06, 2013 In 2010, a group of 20-something art and music enthusiasts transformed an unassuming basement space on Vancouver Street into YES.OUI.SI., a multi-media gallery and gathering spot for young talents that hosted dozens of visual-art shows, film screenings, literary readings, and experimental music performances.

BEACH FOSSILS | CLASH THE TRUTH | February 20, 2013 Last year in an interview with the Phoenix , Dustin Payseur of Beach Fossils said his sophomore album would be inspired by "a lot of frustration from a lot of different sources."

ICEAGE | YOU'RE NOTHING | February 11, 2013 There's something intriguing about the ways Copenhagen punk band Iceage seem simultaneously to care so much and so little.